ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Old Town Plaza was filled with raucous energy this past weekend as the Elk Grove Music Festival returned for its second year. The two-day event, held April 5 and 6, featured live performances, local vendors and a welcoming atmosphere for residents and visitors alike.

From noon to 8 p.m. each day, attendees explored food trucks, a beer garden and booths from local artisans and businesses.

Live music played throughout both days, with a lineup covering genres such as reggae, funk, rock, Latin, and cover bands playing alternative favorites from the ’80s, ’90s and ’2000s. 

The Elk Grove Music Festival was founded by Jesse James and Enrique Silva in 2024. After the success of the first one-day event, the organizers decided to expand to a two-day format for 2025.

“The turnout has been great,” James said on Saturday. “We are going to have about 1,000 people that will come today and tomorrow.” 

The extended schedule allowed for a broader music lineup and more vendor participation. The event was sponsored by the city of Elk Grove, Explore Elk Grove, iHeartMedia and Fleur de Lis Charities. 

“The plan was always to have two days, and we saw the opportunity to immediately make a switch,” James said. 

Silva added that the city wanted the festival to get one event under its belt before expanding to a second day, but following the success of the first festival, the organizers were given the green light for a second day. 

Arden Park Roots, a Sacramento-based group known for its reggae-rock fusion, performed a headline set on Saturday evening, preceded by reggae and folk rhythms band The Bennys. Inverness95, a local cover band, performed several favorites from the ’90s and ’2000s between 1 and 3:40 p.m. 

All-female Mariachi ensemble Mariachi Bonitas and Spanish rock band Nove7 took over on Sunday before handing the stage over to Sunday’s headliner Kandia, a Latin urban and multi-genre singer. 

The local School of Rock’s band Public I kicked off both Saturday and Sundays, with Brian Rose singing the National Anthem. 

Comedian Lourdes Ayon hosted the festival, introducing acts and keeping energy up between performances.

“Bringing communities together to watch live entertainment is really the crux of a community; that is how people feel connected, invested and engaged,” Ayon said. “When you watched a comedy festival, a music festival, maybe the next time you come around here you care a bit more about the area. If there is a piece of trash on the ground, maybe you’re a bit more likely to pick it up, to come to the local restaurants because you had a great time.

“This is really important for all communities, not just in Elk Grove but across California.”

Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen attended both days of the festival, taking the stage on Saturday to highlight the importance of the festival.

“This is great,” Singh-Allen said. “We are here in Old Town Plaza; this is what we imagined for this space, for our community to come together, enjoy good music, food and just the camaraderie. It is great to see it grow every year. We are already seeing better numbers than last year at this time.” 

Both James and Silva said the plan is to continue to grow the festival and to attach bigger acts. They both agreed that by next year, they would like to see the event expand to three days. 

“We want to take advantage of the fact that here in Elk Grove, we paid for this structure,” Silva said. “It is really nice, and we want to create what will be eventually a very high-end boutique music festival.”